They ruined the Horseshoe Curve

I have been visiting the Horseshoe Curve since the mid-1970s. I was quite disappointed during my last visit after a couple years. The park and visitors' now center now closes at 6 p.m. and now even the parking lots are locked up at that time. During a visit a few years ago, we could still park and take the stairs up later in the evening.

Years ago there were many, many more people at the curve at all hours. Now it seems like a ghost town. Was there an after-hours incident at the park that necessitated closing in at such an early hour? I realize the tram is a great benefit for many, but is some ways it seems like the whole experience was more enjoyable when the park was less informal. Just sayin....

Stanley Crane of CR ruined HSC when he removed one of the tracks. Three tracks just doesnt look right to me!

Idiot Railfan wrote:I have been visiting the Horseshoe Curve since the mid-1970s. I was quite disappointed during my last visit after a couple years. The park and visitors' now center now closes at 6 p.m. and now even the parking lots are locked up at that time. During a visit a few years ago, we could still park and take the stairs up later in the evening.

Years ago there were many, many more people at the curve at all hours. Now it seems like a ghost town. Was there an after-hours incident at the park that necessitated closing in at such an early hour? I realize the tram is a great benefit for many, but is some ways it seems like the whole experience was more enjoyable when the park was less informal. Just sayin....

Perhaps because the railfan base is aging and many years ago able to railfan are no longer able?

Ken W2KB wrote:

Idiot Railfan wrote:I have been visiting the Horseshoe Curve since the mid-1970s. I was quite disappointed during my last visit after a couple years. The park and visitors' now center now closes at 6 p.m. and now even the parking lots are locked up at that time. During a visit a few years ago, we could still park and take the stairs up later in the evening.

Years ago there were many, many more people at the curve at all hours. Now it seems like a ghost town. Was there an after-hours incident at the park that necessitated closing in at such an early hour? I realize the tram is a great benefit for many, but is some ways it seems like the whole experience was more enjoyable when the park was less informal. Just sayin....

Perhaps because the railfan base is aging and many years ago able to railfan are no longer able?

Sounds pretty realistic, but it's unfortunate. When we were much younger, it was easier to be a railfan prior to 9-11. With
all this "homeland security" stuff and the vigilance by the railroads (unfortunately they have to be) makes it harder for the
"kids" of today to railfan like we did. Plus everything is computers, social media and all kinds of other stuff for them to do
that we didn't have at their age.

Another thing that crossed my mind about that is maybe it's a way for the park to save money by staying open less hours? Meaning
that it's less expense to pay staff for the added hours. Just trying to make sense of it.......

Charlie

I could see closing at 6 during the fall/winter/spring as a cost saving measure since it gets dark earlier.

Over the summer, they should do a split day. Dawn-10am and 3pm-Dusk.

I was there on Monday. It is nice but I must have hit a "dead" day. I waited 55 mins. for a train. The Pennsylvanian was first but then I only saw three others, not counting pushers shuttling back and forth by noon. In fact, between 7 am and 3 pm I only saw 12 trains between Alto and Cresson. All I heard for 24 years was how awesome it is to watch trains in Altoona, Galitizin, and at "the curve". Well I was disappointed to say the least. It will be a long time before I go back. I have better luck from Bethlehem to Reading in half the time, and I don't have to burn $100 worth of gas.

I have gone there with my sons in July for a day or two over the last two summers. Every time we have gone, usually mid morning to mid afternoon there are families camped out there. Lawn chairs, picnics and rarely an empty seat. Then the lookie lous that just come up on the tram, stay for a bit then head back down. I saw a corvette club and motorcycle group visit the few times I was there.

I will say though, I think the place is locked up off hours to keep vandalism down. I remember going in the 1980's and you had free reign to pretty much go anywhere at any time. How many places are like that anymore?

I recently moved to a town near by like 20 mins away from HSC & i visited "in" the park in august & i was not happy entirely.
1) the GP9 is still not repainted in correct color, cleaned up.
2) weeds in the park were bad near the GP9 unit, near the fence along the tracks
3) the trees/weed/shoe mocks were high & bad to see around the curve from MG area & Brickyard direction.
4) the scanner hardly worked at all, mine picked up all the way at the yard to Benny area.

I would not go back to HSC inside the park again for a long time. last time they had the trees around the park was in 2006/07. I emailed the people who run HSC.RR museum and they told me it was not their fault the weeds were high outside the fence... BUT if they ask for a a way to cut the weeds along the fence and tracks a few times a year I would volunteer. NS is part fault to ruining the HSC view.

Benny is better place for train spotting.

NS would surely insist that there be all kinds of "liability protection"
and flagmen on site for any volunteer brush cutting or even the use
of a commercial landscaping company to do the work.

Case in point: NNEPRA got an unwanted surprise when it was planned'to
use local volunteer station personnel or local municipal employees to
clear the snow from the high level platforms in Exeter, Dover, Wells
and Saco. (Durham's high level platform is underneath the Main St.
overpass and the Downeasters do not stop at Old Orchard in the winter).

Seems that the "lip" of the high level platforms actually extend above the
PAR (Guilford) right of way. PAR (Guilford) demanded that a company
flagman be on duty at each high level platform during snow removal.
Since the platforms had already been completed, an expensive retrofitting
of electric heaters had to be added to the portion of the platform over
PAR (Guilford) trackage in Exeter, Dover, Wells and Saco. No doubt this
heating of these plaforms keeps the local power companies very happy.

[quote="carajul"]Stanley Crane of CR ruined HSC when he removed one of the tracks.

Crane's job was to run Conrail which he did very well. He wasn't hired and paid to please a bunch of foamers.

Dick H wrote:NS would surely insist that there be all kinds of "liability protection"
and flagmen on site for any volunteer brush cutting or even the use
of a commercial landscaping company to do the work.

Case in point: NNEPRA got an unwanted surprise when it was planned'to
use local volunteer station personnel or local municipal employees to
clear the snow from the high level platforms in Exeter, Dover, Wells
and Saco. (Durham's high level platform is underneath the Main St.
overpass and the Downeasters do not stop at Old Orchard in the winter).

Seems that the "lip" of the high level platforms actually extend above the
PAR (Guilford) right of way. PAR (Guilford) demanded that a company
flagman be on duty at each high level platform during snow removal.
Since the platforms had already been completed, an expensive retrofitting
of electric heaters had to be added to the portion of the platform over
PAR (Guilford) trackage in Exeter, Dover, Wells and Saco. No doubt this
heating of these plaforms keeps the local power companies very happy.

I wouldn't be surprised if NS required any outside labor (volunteer or paid landscapers) to take a specified number of hours of safety instruction before being allowed on the ROW -- and then only with flagmen.

carajul wrote:Stanley Crane of CR ruined HSC when he removed one of the tracks. Three tracks just doesnt look right to me!

He only did what PC or PRR should have done sooner- install CTC and remove redundant trackage to reduce costs. Four tracks and towers aren't competitive in the world of modern RRing.